Electric switch.



G. H. HART.

ELECTRIC SWITCH.

APPLICATION FILED OCT. 2. 191a,

Patented Mar. 18, 1919.

lA/VE/VTOR 6. h. HART BY @w/AW I 7 A TTOR/VEYS GEORGE H. I- IART, 0F HARTFORD, CONNECTICUT.

ELECTRIC SWITCH. i

menses.

Specification of Letters Patent. Patentgd Mww, 118, 1919,,

Application filed October 2, 1918. Serial No. 256,528.

To all whom it may concern. Be it known that l, GEORGE H. HART, a citizen of the United States, residing at the city of Hartford, county of Hartford, State of- Connecticut, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Electric Switches, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

My invention relates to improvements in rotary snap electric switches and has for its object to produce a rotary snap switch in which the spindle for actuating the catch or bolt is relieved of driving strain. It further has for its object to produce a snap switch which is driven through the springhook or spring-plate with which one end of the spring directly engages, power being appliedthereto independently of the spindle.

It further has for its object to produce a rotary snap switch in which the handle has a ratchet action, the spring-hook being so formed as to constitute one of the ratchet members.

It further has for its object in a marine switch, such switches comprising a switch mechanism contained within a water and gas-tight casing for use in connection with vapor-proof -ittings and adapted for use upon vessels where it is desirable to protect the switch from moisture and in chemical and powder plants and the like, to provide a ratchet member carried by the cover and separable from the switch mechanism with the cover. r

The following'is a description of an embodiment of my invention, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in which,

Figure 1 is a plan View of the inclosed marine switch;

Fig. 2 is a longitudinal section of the same;

Fig. 3 is a mechanism; 7

Fig. 4: is a partial inner viewbff the inclosing casing;

Fig. 5 is a detail of the spring-plate or clip; 4

Fig. 6 is adetail of one of the ratchet members and its support; I

Fig. 7 is a detail of the switch spindle;

Fi e 8 is a detail of the upper ratchet mom or shaft; and,

plan view of contact actuating Fig. 9 is a holding plate for said shaft.

Referring more particularly to the drawings, 1 is a casing having a cover 2 screwed thereon, the casing having tapped holes 3'3 for conduits for conductors leading to the switch mechanism. 4: is the switch mechanism which is of the ordinary step by step type having a stop-plate 5, a catchplate 6, a catch-plate actuating member? for moving said catch-plate and carried by the spindle8. Surrounding the spindle is the ordinary movablebushing 9 carrying the switch-plates 10 and propelled by the spring 11 whose lower end is engaged therewith,

and whose upper end engages a spring-plate or hook 12, these parts, with the exception of the form of the spring-plate, being substantially as shown in Patent No. 753,881 dated March 8, 19041 and operating in the well known way.

The spring-plate has a key-hole slot 13 whose narrow portions slip into the slots 14 in the spindle, Fig. 7, and hold the plate from turning. The plate 12 is clamped in place by a nut 15. The plate 12 is formed with two projections 16 which extend above the general surface or" the plate and constitute ratchet teeth.

Supported by the cover 2 is a co-acting ratchet memloeg 17 having depending teeth 18 adapted to engage the teeth 16. This ratchet member I is carried by a sliding sleeve 19, which is held in downward position by the spring 20 and rotates with a shaft 21 by reason of splines 22 extending into slots in the sleeve. The shaft 21 extends through a packing box 23 having a compression 24, and is provided with a thumb-turn 25. The shaft 21 is held against vertical movement by a plate 26 secured to the cover and having a slot 27 whose sides enter an annular recess 28 in the shaft.

The switch above described is operated by turning the thumb-turn 25, which, through the shaft 21 and the ratchet clutch- .member 17 supplies power direct to the spring-plate l2- and independently of the spindle for winding up the spring 9 and -=throwing the "switch plates when the bolt 753,881, the function of thespindle in'the present construction when turning in a forward direction being merely to carry the catch-plate actuating element 7, which, on account of the connection of "the spindle, is fixed relatively to the spring-plate. The spring-plate with its ratchet teeth and the ratchet member 12 act as a separable clutch to connect the shaft 21 with the spring 9 shaft holds it against axial movement in the cover.

The switch mechanism is entirely inclosed and, being operated by a ratchet mechanism carried by the cover, a reverse movement of the thumb-turn is possible without interfering with the switch mechanism. The

thumb-turn 25 is provided with a recess covering and inclosing the stufiing box 23 and compression nut 24: and protecting them.

- As will be evident to those skilled in the art, my invention permits of various modifications without departing from the spirit thereof or the scope'of the appended claims. What I claim is: v 1. In a rotary 'snap'switch having a stopplate, a catch-plate, a spindle actuating said catch-plate, a bushing revolving with said catch-plate and carrying the switch plates, the combination 'of a spring-plate rigidly secured to aid spindle, a spring having one end directly engaging said spring-plate, and

switch-actuating vmeans connected to saids'pring-plate independently of said spindle for rotating said spindle through said spring-plate.

. 2. In a rotary snap switch having a stopplate, a catch-plate, a spindle actuating said catch-plate, a switch plate bushing carried by said spindle and rotating the said catchplate, the combination of a spring-plate rigidly secured to said spindle, said springplate havingratchet teeth, a casing for said mechanism, a cover therefor, a shaft carried by said cover, an axially movable ratchet member engaging said ratchet teeth and carried by said shaft, a spring interposed between said coverand said ratchet member and holding said ratchet member normally in engagement with the teeth on said springplate, and a handle for turning said shaft, said ratchet member and said spring-plate constituting separable clutch members.

3. In a rotary snap switch, having a stopplate, a catch plate, a spindle actuating said catch-plate, a switch plate bushing carried by said spindle" and rotating the said catchplate, the combination of a spring-plate rigidly secured tosaid spindle, said springpl-ate having ratchet teeth, an axially movable ratchet member engaging said ratchet teeth, a shaft for supporting and rotating said ratchet member, a cover for said casing supporting said shaft, and a spring interposed between said cover and said ratchet member and holding said ratchet member normally in engagement with the teeth on said spring-plate, and a handle for turning said shaft, said ratchet member being separable from said spring-plate, said cover having a stuffing box surrounding said shaft, and means for holding said shaft against axial movement within said stufling box.

GEORGE H. HART. 

